Chapter 91
Chapter 91
AARON
The city hummed beneath me, but all I could hear was the noise in my own head.
That wasn’t normal.
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EX 60 voucherg
My mind usually operated like a machine structured, strategic and silent. But lately? It felt like a battlefield. Logic at war with emotion. Control strangling instinct. And always… her. Venus. Like a whisper beneath my skin I couldn’t shut off.
I leaned against the glass wall of my office, the skyline stretching wide, lit like temptation. Below, Manhattan pulsed with its usual rhythm: cyclists cutting through lanes, overworked suits gripping coffee, eyes on their next meeting. To anyone else, it was just another Monday morning.
To me, it felt like the first move in a war I hadn’t declared yet.
My phone buzzed.
I turned back to my desk. The contracts. The board memos. The risk reports. All neatly stacked chaos. But somewhere in the middle of it all, something darker was creeping in. Quiet. Steady. Like rot under gold.
I wasn’t the type to ignore red flags.
But Caroline, Richard, and Dorian? They didn’t wave flags. They smiled. Moved like silk. Played the long game in shadows and backdoor meetings.
Snakes in luxury suits. Each deadly in their own flavor.
Caroline was all charm. Polished, disarming and poison dipped in perfume. She could turn a hostile boardroom into a standing ovation with a smile and three well-placed compliments. She didn’t just gain trust, she harvested it.
Richard was colder. Sharper. The type to gut you with paperwork and send a condolence bouquet after. He liked bad investments, liked playing god with markets he didn’t understand. And yet somehow, people still listened to him.
And Dorian… Dorian was the wild card. The trophy son. Always lurking just out of frame, always grinning at the wrong moment. The kind of man who laughed at funerals and stayed silent when the room caught fire.
Together, they were slowly, methodically buying up minority shares. Quiet. Steady. Legal. Enough to avoid tripping any alarms but just enough to make my gut twitch.
I knew what they were doing.
And still, I wasn’t worried.
Not yet.
Because there was something more immediate. Something worse than a corporate coup.
Venus.
And the faceless bastard stalking her.
I opened the latest report, the team Connor hired had updated it last night. My thumb skimmed through security footage, timestamps, infrared overlays. The bastard was in London now. Always just far enough to avoid being caught. Always watching.
He’d followed her across an ocean.
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Chapter 91
Why?
What made her the target?
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I exhaled, slow. This wasn’t random. Not anymore. Whoever it was, they weren’t some obsessed drifter. They had patience. Precision. They moved like someone trained. Someone who understood surveillance better than the people paid to track
them.
Which meant this wasn’t obsession.
This was a mission.
My phone buzzed again.
Connor.
They’ve got a few leads. Surveillance from last night gave us a location. Not much, but they’ve got a face.
I stared at the screen.
A face.
We were no longer chasing shadows.
I dialed. He picked up on the second ring.
“Talk p>
“Well, hello to you too,” Connor drawled. I could practically hear the eye-roll. “And that’s why they use me to get to you p>
“They tracked him to a warehouse just outside the city. Long Island, tucked behind a shipping yard. He’s been moving around, switching safe houses every few days. Last night, we almost had him. The team went in, place was still warm. He left in a hurry p>
I stood slowly, fingers flexing. “Did he take anything p>
“No. But he didn’t cover his tracks well this time. Left behind a burner phone Scrubbed, mostly junk. But they pulled a name from a cached browser window p>
I stilled.
“Say it p>
“Colton Ashford p>
The name tugged at something old in my memory. Not personal. But familiar.
I started pacing. “Ashford… the export guy p>
“Yeah. Not a nobody. Not a Sinclair or a Carter, but he’s got pull. Runs a fleet out of Charleston. Has connections to Dubai, Brazil, parts of Eastern Europe. Looks clean on paper, but he’s been flagged before. Money laundering. Shell corps. Small- time bribery. Nothing ever stuck p>
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You think lie’s behind this p>
Connor’s voice dropped. “Guys like Ashford don’t move unless there’s a paycheck… or it’s personal p>
“Personal to me p>
12:17 Mon, Jan 5 GM
GMJ
Chapter 91
“Maybe. Or maybe to her p>
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That possibility landed like a blow to the ribs.
“What else do we know about the stalker p>
“White male. Mid-thirties. Average height, average build. Cap. Shades. Basic low-profile look. But from the footage? He moves like he’s ex-military. Posture’s too tight, reflexes too sharp. And get this, he left behind a coffee receipt p>
My brow furrowed. “He stopped for coffee p>
“Yeah. Paid in cash. But he used a loyalty card p>
I gave a low, bitter laugh. “Amateur p>
Connor snorted. “They’re running the card now. Tied to a fake name, but the barista recognized him. Says he’s been showing up for days. Always alone. Always watching p>
So this wasn’t new.
He’d been circling.
Patient.
“If this leads back to Ashford-” I started, but Connor cut in.
“Then we find out why p>
I nodded, jaw clenching. “Keep eyes on him. Discreet. If Ashford even whispers about Venus, I want to know. And Connor p>
“Yeah p>
“… You think it could be tied to her real parents p>
He didn’t answer at first.
I continued, lower this time. “We found out Venus isn’t really Dain and Martha Carter’s daughter. But we never uncovered who her biological parents were. I didn’t tell her then. It felt… too raw. Too dangerous. I didn’t want it messing with her focus. Or the contract p>
And maybe that was a lie.
Maybe it was just easier not to face what that truth could unravel.
I discovered this in Rome,it was the call I was on when she was snooping.
“I know that was selfish,” I said quietly. “But I’ll tell her. When the tip
right p>
A beat of silence. Then Connor exhaled.
“Colton Ashford, though… yeah. I’ll see what I can dig up p>
“Do it p>
The line clicked off.
I stood still, staring down at the name on my screen.
Colton Ashford.
12:17 Mon, Jan 5 GM ·
Chapter 91
Who the hell are you?
And what the fuck do you want with her?
田
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Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.